God's Grand Purpose in Judgment Text: Exodus 9:13-35
Introduction: The God Who Means Business
We come now to the seventh plague, and it is important for us to remember that this is not the opening act. We are well into the third act of this divine drama. Pharaoh has had multiple opportunities to repent. He has seen water turn to blood, he has been inundated with frogs, gnats, and flies. He has seen the livestock of Egypt die while the livestock of Israel remained untouched. He has seen his magicians afflicted with boils, unable even to stand before Moses. God has been patiently, systematically, and relentlessly dismantling the pantheon of Egyptian deities, showing them to be nothing more than cosmic dust bunnies.
But our modern sensibilities tend to get a bit squeamish right about here. We like a God who is affirming, a God who is therapeutic, a God who fits neatly into our categories of niceness. The God of the plagues is not nice; He is good, but He is not safe. He is a consuming fire. And in this passage, more clearly than in any of the preceding plagues, God Himself pulls back the curtain and tells us exactly what He is doing and why He is doing it. This is not random, chaotic destruction. This is a calculated, purposeful, and glorious self-revelation. God is not just trying to get His people out of Egypt. He is putting on a show for the entire world, for all of history, and He has cast Pharaoh in a leading role. The central lesson is this: God uses the obstinate rebellion of wicked men as the black velvet upon which He displays the brilliant diamond of His own glory.
The conflict between Moses and Pharaoh is a battle over worship. "Let My people go, that they may serve Me." And the plagues are God's answer to Pharaoh's initial, arrogant question: "Who is Yahweh, that I should obey His voice?" God is answering that question with thunder, fire, and ice. He is teaching Pharaoh, and through him, all the nations, a lesson in systematic theology. And the central tenet of that theology is the absolute, unrivaled sovereignty of God.
The Text
And Yahweh said to Moses, “Rise up early in the morning and stand before Pharaoh, and you shall say to him, ‘Thus says Yahweh, the God of the Hebrews, “Let My people go, that they may serve Me. For this time I will send all My plagues against your heart and amongst your servants and your people, so that you may know that there is no one like Me in all the earth. For if by now I had sent forth My hand and struck you and your people with pestilence, you would then have been wiped out from the earth. But, indeed, for this reason I have caused you to stand, in order to show you My power and in order to recount My name through all the earth. Still you exalt yourself against My people by not letting them go. Behold, about this time tomorrow, I will rain down very heavy hail, such as has not been seen in Egypt from the day it was founded until now. So now, send, bring your livestock and whatever you have in the field to safety. Every man and beast that is found in the field and is not brought home, the hail will come down on them, and they will die.” ’ ” The one among the servants of Pharaoh who feared the word of Yahweh made his servants and his livestock flee into the houses; but he who did not consider in his heart the word of Yahweh left his servants and his livestock in the field.
Now Yahweh said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand toward the sky, that there may be hail on all the land of Egypt, on man and on beast and on every plant of the field, throughout the land of Egypt.” So Moses stretched out his staff toward the sky, and Yahweh gave forth thunder and hail, and fire went down to the earth. And Yahweh rained down hail on the land of Egypt. So there was hail, and fire flashing continually in the midst of the hail, very heavy, such as had not been in all the land of Egypt since it became a nation. And the hail struck all that was in the field through all the land of Egypt, from man to beast; the hail also struck every plant of the field and shattered every tree of the field. Only in the land of Goshen, where the sons of Israel were, there was no hail.
Then Pharaoh sent and called for Moses and Aaron and said to them, “I have sinned this time; Yahweh is the righteous one, and I and my people are the wicked ones. Entreat Yahweh, for God’s thunder and hail are too much; and I will let you go, and you shall stay no longer.” And Moses said to him, “As soon as I go out of the city, I will spread out my hands to Yahweh; the thunder will cease, and there will be hail no longer, that you may know that the earth is Yahweh’s. But as for you and your servants, I know that you do not yet fear Yahweh God.” (Now the flax and the barley were struck down, for the barley was in the ear and the flax was in bud. But the wheat and the spelt were not struck down, for they are late-ripening.) And Moses went out of the city from Pharaoh and spread out his hands to Yahweh; and the thunder and the hail ceased, and rain no longer poured on the earth. But Pharaoh saw that the rain and the hail and the thunder had ceased. So he sinned again and hardened his heart with firmness, he and his servants. And Pharaoh’s heart was hardened with strength, and he did not let the sons of Israel go, just as Yahweh had spoken by the hand of Moses.
(Exodus 9:13-35 LSB)
God's Stated Purpose (vv. 13-17)
God begins this encounter by laying His cards on the table. He tells Pharaoh exactly what the point of all this is.
"For this time I will send all My plagues against your heart... so that you may know that there is no one like Me in all the earth... for this reason I have caused you to stand, in order to show you My power and in order to recount My name through all the earth." (Exodus 9:14, 16)
Notice first that God is aiming His plagues directly at Pharaoh's heart. This is spiritual warfare. The heart, in Hebrew thought, is the center of the will, the intellect, and the emotions. God is not just trying to inflict external pain; He is waging war for the throne room of Pharaoh's being. He is attacking the king's rebellious will at its root.
And why? God gives two clear reasons. The first is so that Pharaoh might know "that there is no one like Me in all the earth." This is a direct assault on polytheism. God is demonstrating His absolute uniqueness, His incomparability. He is not one god among many; He is the only God, the Creator of heaven and earth, and all other so-called gods are nothing.
The second reason is even more staggering. God says, "for this reason I have caused you to stand." God could have wiped Pharaoh out with the pestilence that killed the livestock. It would have been easy. But God propped him up. He sustained him in his rebellion for a specific purpose: "in order to show you My power and in order to recount My name through all the earth." Pharaoh is an instrument in God's hand. God is using Pharaoh's hard-heartedness as a canvas to display His own power. This is God's public relations campaign, and His goal is global renown. The Apostle Paul picks up this very verse in Romans 9 to explain the doctrine of divine election and reprobation. God raises up certain individuals and nations, even in their wickedness, to serve His ultimate purpose of making His name great. This is a hard doctrine, but it is inescapably biblical. God is sovereign not just over the prayers of the saints, but also over the pride of tyrants.
The Merciful Warning and the Great Divide (vv. 18-21)
Before the judgment falls, God extends a measure of common grace. This is crucial. God is not a capricious despot.
"So now, send, bring your livestock and whatever you have in the field to safety... The one among the servants of Pharaoh who feared the word of Yahweh made his servants and his livestock flee into the houses; but he who did not consider in his heart the word of Yahweh left his servants and his livestock in the field." (Exodus 9:19-21 LSB)
God warns of a supernatural hailstorm, the likes of which Egypt has never seen. But in the same breath, He provides a way of escape. "Bring your servants and livestock inside." This is a test. And it divides the Egyptians. The dividing line is not nationality or social status, but rather faith in the word of God. Some of Pharaoh's own officials "feared the word of Yahweh." They heard, they believed, and they acted. And their servants and animals were saved. Others "did not consider in his heart the word of Yahweh." The Hebrew is literally "did not set his heart to" the word. They heard the warning, but they disregarded it. They treated the word of the living God as empty noise. And they paid the price.
This is a microcosm of how the gospel always functions. The Word of God comes to a people, and it forces a choice. It creates a division. Some hear and tremble and obey. Others hear and scoff and ignore. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and here we see that this is true even for pagans in Egypt. To believe God's threat is the first step toward salvation. To disregard it is the path to ruin.
De-Creation and Distinction (vv. 22-26)
The judgment itself is terrifying in its scope and supernatural character.
"So there was hail, and fire flashing continually in the midst of the hail, very heavy... Only in the land of Goshen, where the sons of Israel were, there was no hail." (Exodus 9:24, 26 LSB)
This is not a normal storm. It is fire and ice falling from the sky together. This is an act of de-creation, a chaotic undoing of the created order. It is a direct assault on the Egyptian sky-goddess, Nut, and the god of agriculture, Osiris. God is demonstrating His total command over the elements that the Egyptians worshipped. He shows that He can make them instruments of His wrath.
The devastation is total. Man, beast, plants, trees, all are struck down. This is economic ruin. But in the midst of this widespread destruction, God makes a miraculous distinction. "Only in the land of Goshen... there was no hail." This is not a lucky break in the weather pattern. This is a precise, geographical, covenantal miracle. God draws a line in the sand, and the storm obeys. He is able to protect His people in the very midst of judgment. This distinction is the heart of the gospel. In a world under the curse, God sets apart a people for Himself, a Goshen, a Church, and He says of them, "The judgment will not touch you here." This is a picture of what it means to be sheltered in Christ.
Foxhole Repentance (vv. 27-35)
Under the terrifying pressure of the storm, Pharaoh cracks. Or at least, he appears to.
"Then Pharaoh sent and called for Moses and Aaron and said to them, 'I have sinned this time; Yahweh is the righteous one, and I and my people are the wicked ones.'... But as for you and your servants, I know that you do not yet fear Yahweh God." (Exodus 9:27, 30 LSB)
On the surface, this is a model confession. Pharaoh admits his sin. He affirms God's righteousness. He confesses his own wickedness. He uses all the right theological language. If you just read verse 27, you would think revival had broken out in the palace. But this is what we might call foxhole repentance. It is a confession motivated by a desire to escape the consequences, not by a genuine hatred of the sin itself. He says, "God's thunder and hail are too much." He doesn't say, "My rebellion against God is too much." He wants the pain to stop, but he has no desire for a changed heart.
Moses, with prophetic discernment, sees right through it. He agrees to pray for the storm to cease, so that Pharaoh might learn another lesson: "that the earth is Yahweh's." God's ownership extends over everything. But then Moses delivers the piercing insight: "But as for you and your servants, I know that you do not yet fear Yahweh God." The confession was empty because it was not rooted in a true fear of God. It was a fear of hail, a fear of thunder, a fear of financial ruin, but not a fear of God Himself.
And the moment the pressure is removed, Pharaoh's true nature reasserts itself. "But Pharaoh saw that the rain and the hail and the thunder had ceased. So he sinned again and hardened his heart." The relief from judgment did not lead him to gratitude, but to greater rebellion. This is the classic mark of a hardened heart. It interprets God's mercy as a license to sin. It sees patience as weakness. And so, the cycle continues, "just as Yahweh had spoken." Every step, every bit of defiance from Pharaoh, is simply fulfilling the script that God had already written.
Conclusion: The Shelter from the Storm
What are we to take from this terrifying account? First, we must see that God's judgments are always purposeful. They are intended to make His name, His power, and His character known. God is glorified in His wrath just as He is in His mercy. We must not create a god in our own image who is incapable of such fierce and purposeful judgment.
Second, we see the nature of true and false repentance. False repentance is about escaping the consequences. It speaks the right language when the pressure is on, but it has no root. True repentance is born from a genuine "fear of Yahweh God." It hates the sin itself, not just the painful results. We must all examine our own hearts. When we confess our sins, are we simply trying to get God off our backs, or are we truly grieved that we have offended a holy and righteous King?
Finally, we see the gospel in the distinction. The hail of God's righteous judgment against sin is real, and it is coming for the whole world. But God has provided a Goshen. He has provided a shelter from the storm. That shelter is His Son, Jesus Christ. On the cross, Jesus stood out in the field and took the full, supernatural fury of God's wrath, the fire and ice of judgment that we deserved. He absorbed it all. And now, all who flee to Him by faith are brought into the land of Goshen. The storm may rage all around us, but in Christ, there is no hail.
The word of God has come to you today, just as it came to the servants of Pharaoh. It is a warning, but it is also an offer of grace. Will you be one who fears the word of the Lord and flees for shelter? Or will you be one who does not set your heart to it, and remains exposed in the field? The only safe place to be when the judgment of God falls is in Christ.